Back to Forks
by Stephaniiie
Summary: When the Cullens left in New Moon the wolves were too late to save Bella from Laruent and she's a vampire. What happens when she goes back to Forks High school with Jake and they aren't the only "new" kids? Better summary inside. HIATUS
1. Summary

**Author's Note- **Okay, sorry guys, but this is the basic summary, which I am posting at the same time as the first chapter so you don't get confused. I'm not saying that you HAVE to read this- you don't… but it really might help in understanding. Great. Thanks.

**Disclaimer- **Do you have to do a disclaimer for the summary? Oh well I am anyways. All characters and the story of New Moon belong to the wonderfully talented Stephenie Meyer and the only thing I own the same as her is her NAME (though it's spelt differently).

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In new moon, Laurent bit Bella before the wolves got to him. Bella is a vampire who hates her own existence- she does not feel that she has anything to live for anymore other than her best friend (Jake) and the only thing that has prevented her from going to the Volturi other than him is that she knows that they would not kill her and instead be interested in her power (which is the same as Breaking Dawn, but she also has a lot more strength because of a) what she has been through and b) having to fight off Victoria).

She is a vegetarian and has lived this way for 60 years in the countryside, just a ten minutes vampire speed run from La Push. Jacob lives with her creating the world's only vampire/wolf best friend relationship. However, Bella dislikes being a vegetarian vampire because it reminds her of the Cullens, which causes her pain. This has done the opposite of healing over time.

Neither Bella nor Jake has aged. Charlie died 20 years after Bella's "death"- she was missing presumed dead- and Bella and Jacob have not shown their faces in Forks since.

Now, 60 years later (now that everybody that knew them in Forks has moved on), Bella returns to Forks to live and goes to college there with Jacob under the names of Annabelle and Jake Black.

However, the day after they start at their new school (whilst attracting some wannabe friends and enemies), another group of kids start. Yep, you guessed it- the Cullens are back!

How will Bella deal with their return? What will they think about her vampireness (sorry, I have a tendency to make up words)? And will Bella and Edward's relationship be renewed as they run into each other once again? And what happens when Bella meets _her_ La Tua Cantante? Who is it and does Bella have the control and motivation to leave them alone?

Also, this story is completely my own (well, the idea not the characters- see the top if you want the full blown disclaimer, okay?) and if there are others similar on here, then I am not aware of them. I mean, there are more than 1,000 twilight fanfics on here, for Gods sake! Am I supposed to have read them all? I would never deliberately copy someone else's story because I have had it happen to me and I did not like it, to put it mildly. So I would never do that, okay?

That is all. Oh and I know the name is not very good. All suggestions welcome.

If you've read this far, I must admit I'm quite surprised.

Thanks- now PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT CHAPTER AND READ AND REVIEW THE ACTUAL STORY!!!!!!

Steph


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note- **I know there are a lot of stories like this, but I have tried very hard to make this my own version and there will be bits from Edward's POV. Please review or add to faves if you like it- you have NO idea how much this is appreciated.

**Disclaimer- **Twilight and all characters belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. Unfortunately.

**Note for my friend Hannah if she's reading- **Firstly, if you are not Hannah (Hannah whose surname begins with M.) then you don't have to read this. Hannah, if you are reading, just because Jacob is a kinda major part in this story, it does NOT mean that I like him. I still hate his guts but Bella needed a reason to live in the first place, okay? Please, please, please shut up about that, yeah? :) Thanks (sorry to all members of team Jacob that might have read that even though they are not Hannah)

**FOR THE BASIC SUMMARY AND STUFF SEE PREVIOUS CHAPTER! (note- it might help you to understand some bits)**

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I watched Jake sleep peacefully and sighed. How much I wished that I could sleep. How much I wished that I could eat. How much I wished that I could die.

I sighed again. Death would be peaceful after this infuriating half-life full of unfulfilled dreams and wishes. I had barely any reason to live any more, and there were only two reasons as to why I had not been to Italy and begged for death.

1) Jake. I couldn't leave him, not after everything that he has done for me- not after that. He saved my life. Though, if I could live that moment again, I would have probably begged him not to. If I had known that this was the life that would follow, I would've told him to let Laurent escape, I would've told him that t wasn't worth it- I would've begged mercilessly for death.

2) My gift. My ability to shield others' minds was unique and a very powerful gift, not to mention the extra strength I had, that numerous ordeals I had gone through had built. I knew that if I went to the Volturi, I would not get my wish- I would be too valuable to dispose of, and would be forced to serve them for the rest of eternity.

How ironic it was that I now had what I had wished for all those years ago. But I didn't want it anymore- not now that the reason for my living was gone. I didn't think of him and his family, I couldn't, but they were always there in my huge contemplative mind.

Before my thoughts could run away with me, I stood and checked the carefully labelled boxes again, going over the story in my head. Jake and I were going back to Forks. Now that every last person that would recognise me was dead or gone, I could return. Both of us were going to attend Forks High School. We would move into a house in the countryside near Forks, and attend the high school under the names of Jake and Annabelle Black (the reason for our new names was because of the records that the school kept; I would still be there). We would be brother and sister and we lived alone.

Why were we going back? I asked myself. It must be something to do with the boredom of being alone, but a niggling thought was telling me that there was something more than that. Forks used to be their home. I knew that, deep down, I was hoping that they had returned; although I knew that they hadn't, I still hoped.

The morning came quicker than I had thought possible as I sat there brooding and it wasn't long before Jake sat up, his eyes half-closed with sleep.

"Morning." I muttered, knowing he would hear- his own hearing was nearly as good as mine.

"Morning Annabelle," he winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"We have to leave soon." I told him and he nodded, serious now.

"How soon?" he asked.

"Soon, I guess. We have to unpack when we get there."

"Bells." Jake raised an eyebrow at me, "It won't take us long to unpack, especially considering that we packed up all of this stuff in an hour."

"The major advantage of super-human speed." I said sarcastically.

"What's up with you this morning?" Jacob asked, sensing my annoyance.

"Nothing." I replied.

"When did you last hunt?"

I shrugged.

"Oh, Bells!" Jake cried, "Just go already! You should've gone last night."

"I didn't want to."

"You never want to." Jake narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. I'm going. Just get off my back, okay?"

"I can't believe you still have a ridiculous aversion to this, Bells," he sighed and I glared at him, before turning and leaping lithely through the window.

As I darted off into the trees, I heard him mutter to himself, "It's been sixty bloody years."

I snarled under my breath. I knew that he knew why I had this "aversion" to hunting and he knew that I knew that he knew it. Every time I hunted it reminded me of _them_. And I hated it. I had tried starving myself, but it just didn't work. So this was my only choice.

It was a quick hunting trip and I was back at the house within half-an-hour. Two hours after that, we were gone and the house was empty.

The first night at our new home was a long one. I spent it familiarising myself with the huge, spacious rooms, making a mental note to re-decorate as I saw the peeling cream paint and the mould on the leaky windows. I had no idea how long this house had been here but it must have been here for some time. It was a sturdy house and the building and foundations were in good condition, even if the interior decor was a bit shoddy. And there was a big garage, which would naturally be required for Jake. It was also right slap-bang in the middle of nowhere, which was pretty necessary for our frequent hunting trips.

After hours of wandering through the now familiar rooms, I discovered that the kitchen was my favourite room of them all. It was the most spacious and it had a kind of welcoming feeling about it. I liked the way that its huge patio doors opened right into the forest and that most of the same wall was made of glass. I liked the woods now. The greenness felt like home to me now, as it had for many, many years. And I liked the gigantic oak dining table that looked like an antique. It had come with us from our old home, but it had never fit in there the way it did here. I hoped that it would be the same way for me.

I was sat there gazing through the patio doors at the unfamiliar landscape as I watched the sun come up. I heard Jake get up and shower before coming down and grinning at me. I smiled timidly back. I doubted I would have to admit to Jake that I was incredibly scared of returning. He always found me easy to read. In fact, _most_ people did…

"Nervous." He stated, smiling slightly.

"Entertained?" I shot back, but then sighed, "Yes." I admitted quietly.

"Don't be- you'll be fine." Jake assured me, "You're well in control now and it'll be fun."

"Fun." I repeated morosely and Jake laughed.

"Right." He said, offering me his arm, like a gentleman, "Shall we?"

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Thank you so much for reading! Please review! (Note- it WILL get better- this had to be a kind of filler chapter to tell you all that's happened since the Cullens left)

Steph


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note- **Thank you so much for the reviews and adding the story to favourites- one thing though- if you add the story to your favourites or put it on alert or something, please could you review saying why, or something. Even something really simple like "please update" is great. Thanks!

**Disclaimer- **Imagine what you could do if you owned the Cullens! Unfortunately, I don't.

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I hated it as soon as I saw it in Alice's head. I didn't want to go back there- it would make the pain unbearable to go back to the very place where I had met her.

"No." I whispered, "No way, Alice. No way."

"I don't like it either." She hissed, "But it's hardly my choice, is it?"

"Well, whose is it then?"

"Carlisle's… the family's. We should go where is best for us." Alice replied, "If we go back, maybe you'll get over her."

"I promised her that she would never see any of us ever again. Alice, it was the only thing I could promise her!" I all but shouted, "I can't go back on my word. I can't go back to Forks. I _won't._"

"Edward," Alice said firmly, "Are you telling me that you _think she'll still be there?"_

I had no reply to that. I knew she wouldn't be, but it wasn't that that bothered me. I didn't want to go back to the old high school where I had been with her for a year, I didn't want to sit in my old classrooms where I had once sat with her; I didn't want to relive these memories. But how could I explain that to Alice without sounding crazy? I knew that I wasn't crazy; just helplessly in love- it even hurt just to hear her name mentioned.

"It has been sixty years, Edward. Charlie died forty years ago. Bella"- wince- "will be long gone. She has no reason to still be in Forks. For all we know, she could be dead."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" I yelled, losing it. A world without Bella would be… it was unthinkable. If Bella didn't exist, there would be no point to anything anymore; it would just be an empty world, devoid of any point or meaning- a dark night.

"It could be true, Edward, but anyway, why are you so opposed to going back to Forks?"

"I've just told you why!"

"What are you two arguing about now?" Esme came in, looking upset. I didn't blame her. We used to be such a happy family, but now I argued with anyone for any reason. I was a monster in more than one sense of the word.

"Edward doesn't want to go back to Forks." Alice glared at me.

"We're going back there?" Esme's spirits suddenly lifted; she loved Forks.

"Carlisle's thinking about it." Alice nodded serenely.

"Oh, that _will_ be nice." Esme gushed, but then she looked at me, "Edward, sweetie, are you okay?"

"I can't go back to Forks, Esme." I said truthfully.

"Oh, Edward." Esme's face fell and her thoughts were full of sympathy.

"We better have a family conference," she decided.

"Or we could leave Edward behind." Alice suggested, throwing a pointed glare in my direction. I could hear from her angry thoughts that she had been lying when she had said that she wasn't keen on going back to Forks either; in fact, she was ecstatic.

"Now, now, Alice." Esme chided, "We can discuss all of our options with the family."

Less than five minutes later, the entire family was sat around our dining table, which was only used for meetings such as these.

"Now, Esme informs me that we are here to discuss our options over a small dispute about where we should move on to, now that we cannot stay here for any time longer." Carlisle started our family conference.

"Cool. Where are we going?" Emmett asked, whilst Jasper eyed me and Alice warily, feeling our emotions wash out of us.

"Well, that's the problem…" Carlisle trailed off.

"Forks." Alice said and I growled at her.

"Ah." Jasper nodded, our words (or unspoken words) making sense of our emotions.

"Edward, the place is perfect for our family. It is the only place where we have ever felt really comfortable and happy and I realise that you may not feel the same way anymore…" Carlisle said but I interrupted him.

"I promised, Carlisle, and I don't go back on my word." I snapped, using my earlier excuse.

"You can't promise on my behalf." Alice snarled, "Besides I don't know why you are making so much fuss- it's not like she's even going to be there."

"Edward." Rose spoke up, "I know you don't want to hear this, but it is hardly our fault that _you_ made her this ridiculous promise. You've been nothing but trouble for sixty years and _she_ caused this trouble."

"We should take a vote on this." Carlisle said, as he saw me clench my fists.

"I vote we should go." Alice was the first to speak up, "I like Forks. And Bella" –wince again- "won't be there. I'm sure of it." She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, "Nope. No Bella." Another wince from me.

"I think so too." Jasper nodded. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes- of course Jasper would be wherever Alice was. Their devotion to each other was painful now that I didn't have anyone; almost as painful as Rose and Emmett's open display of passion.

"Yeah- there are plenty of bears there!" Emmett grinned. Typical.

"I'll be where Em is." Rose said unsurprisingly.

"Esme?" Carlisle encouraged, looking at her kindly. Even Carlisle and Esme would not be separated, but I knew that Esme wouldn't like to be without me either; she didn't like it when her family got split up. I had done it enough times to know.

"I… I want to go too, but not without you, Edward." She spoke softly, and I could see through the others' thoughts that she was trying to catch my eyes, but I didn't look up from the table, "Edward?" she asked, "Edward, if she's not going to be there, where's the harm in going?"

I shook my head unable to answer her.

"Then it's decided." Carlisle sighed, "We go back to Forks, but Edward may stay behind if that is what he wishes to do."

_Please, Edward. Please come. For me. If it's too much for you, then I will not prevent you from leaving, but please just try? _Esme begged me with her thoughts, and Carlisle's were much the same. The others ignored me.

"I…" I hesitated, "I'll come. For a bit."

_Thank you_ Esme thought gratefully and I sighed. This was going to be pure hell.

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Thanks for reading and, as always, please review! Next chapter from Bella's POV as she and Jake start school. Sorry the chapters are quite short- I am trying hard to make them longer but at least it doesn't take you all day to read them.

Please review

Steph


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note- **Sorry if there are any mistakes- I do not have a beta and if you are willing to do it, please say so in your review. I would be glad for such help! Thanks. And sorry I forgot to put EPOV at the top of the last chapter, but I'm hoping that you gathered that anyway. I do usually send review replies, but I have actually been so busy, that I haven't been able to. I will send replies when I get back from my long weekend. But thank you all for your reviews- they really mean a lot to me!

**Disclaimer- **Don't own. I am not capable of owning such brilliance.

Please note that I am going to be away for the next few days and I hope that this long chapter makes up for it. I will update as soon as I can. Enjoy.

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**BPOV**

I pulled into the parking lot, and smiled at the feeling of familiarity- it hadn't changed a bit. Without realising, I found myself pulling into my old parking space that I had frequently used before my "disappearance". And then I looked over at another space opposite, not thinking. My eyes widened as I saw that there was a silver car parked in that space. But then I sighed and turned back to face Jake. He was looking at me pitifully, as if he understood, but he couldn't understand the pain. How could I be so stupid? How could I let myself get carried away like that? Of course they wouldn't be there. It wasn't even a Volvo. I saw a silver car in their old parking space and it made me feel hopeful- that was pathetic.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Bells?" Jake asked softly.

"Yeah." I said, "Yeah. I'm fine."

We walked into reception and up to the front desk. I didn't feel as much of a new-comer as I had when I first attended this school.

"Hello, can I help you?" the receptionist asked. I noted from her badge that her name was Mrs Underwood. She had curly ginger-brown hair and green eyes.

"Uh, yeah. We're new. Annabelle and Jake Black?" I checked.

"Oh, yes. Of course." She nodded and handed us various papers, pointing out our timetables, schedules, maps and a load of other things, "Um, your first lesson is Biology with Miss Penne." She told me before telling Jake that he had Chemistry with Mr Greene. I was hardly listening.

"I guess I'll see you at lunch." I mumbled to Jake before heading off to what was ironically my old biology classroom.

"Ah, yes, Miss Black." Miss Penne greeted me as I strode in. My brilliant hearing picked up the boys in the room gasp as they saw me. I was beautiful. But I was a monster. Finally, I felt that I knew how _he_ might have felt. She signed my slip and sent me to an empty desk at the back of the room.

I swept through the classroom to the back, where I dumped my books on my desk. Thank goodness she hadn't put me on my old desk. Or where my old desk would have been. I guessed that they didn't keep desks for more than sixty years. I glanced over to where the desk was and there was a girl sat there staring at me. She caught my eye and smiled, but I didn't smile back. I took a deep breath before sitting down. The burn in my throat barely bothered me anymore and I didn't even feel slightly edgy in this room full of humans.

Biology passed uneventfully, Miss Penne not calling on me once. I didn't listen at all so I didn't even know what the lesson was on, but it didn't bother me. It was nice to be actually doing something for once.

The bell rang and I the rest of the morning passed just as uneventfully as I sat through Spanish and Home Ec. Then it was lunch.

"Er… hi." A voice said shyly. I turned to face them. There stood a girl with ginger hair and freckles, "My name's Joanna Stanley." She blushed as she introduced herself. I remembered that she was also the girl that had smiled at me in Biology.

"Um… hi," I replied, "I'm Bella." I found myself wanting to yell at myself for talking to this girl. Hadn't I learnt anything from the Cullens' –wince- mistakes? If you get too close to a human, they find out _way_ too much. I shook my head at myself and looked back at Joanna, "I've got to go, bye." I said hurriedly, and then I flounced out of the Home Ec. classroom and along the corridor into the canteen.

"Hey Bells." Jake greeted me, "How was your morning?"

"Um… okay, I guess." I replied, "Yours?" I returned the question as we collected trays and filled them with food. Of course, I didn't actually need or want any of it, but Jake ate _a lot_ of food, so he'd no doubt eat whatever I picked up as well. We went and sat at a table and he tucked in, whilst I turned an apple round and round in my hand. Thankfully, the canteen had been changed round so my eyes weren't drawn to _their_ old table. This was worse than an obsession.

"It was okay as well." Jake grinned at me through a mouthful of pizza, "I have English next." He looked at his timetable, "And then a free period. Cool."

"I have English next too!" I smiled at him and took his timetable from him and put it next to mine. He had had Chemistry, then History (I almost laughed. Jake was good at history- after all, he was more than sixty years old!) and third he had been in French. Next we both had the same.

"Who _are_ they?" I heard someone say across the room. I recognised the voice, but couldn't think from where I had heard it, so I turned to look. I found myself staring into a pair of dark chocolaty brown eyes and I remembered where I had seen her before. It was Cassie from my Home Ec. class. I hadn't really paid her much attention- she had been sat right across the room from me- but I remembered seeing and hearing her answer her name in the register.

"Bella and Jake." Her friend replied, also looking at us. I now only watched them from the corner of my eye.

"They're weird though. It's like they're not from here. They speak weirdly and act like they're so above us. Like they're better, you know?" Cassie complained.

"They're not that bad, Cass," said her friend, who I now knew as Joanna- the girl who had spoken to me earlier on.

"Yes they are, Jo. They're different, I know it. Just because you have some weird thing about new kids, they're odd. But I have the oddest feeling, like I know her. The girl." Cassie narrowed her eyes in confusion, but Joanna laughed it off.

"If I didn't have some "weird thing", as you put it, about new kids, you would not know me. You would be friendless. I just thought I'd give Bella the same choice. If she wants to be friends with us, then I'd have no aversion to it." She giggled.

"Huh. You could've asked me." Cassie sounded slightly put out, but then she bought up something else, "Just don't do the same thing to those kids that are starting tomorrow. I've heard that they're incredibly gorgeous. Don't weird them out, okay? I want a chance with these guys."

New kids? Now I thought back over my day, I remembered that there had been talk of tomorrow's new-comers. That was a relief. At least Jake and I could take a little step out of the limelight. These "incredibly gorgeous" new kids could hog it all, for all I cared. They would probably be some shallow kids that wanted the attention anyway. Well, that didn't matter. They could have it.

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**EPOV**

I couldn't believe that I had let them do this. Well, let Esme do this, to be precise. I glared ahead as I drove along the all-too-familiar road to Forks High School. This would be the first time back at this school without her. Obviously. I was sure that it would bring back unwanted memories and it would hurt me so badly, but I still came. Alice had been trying to assure me by showing me parts of my day today that would be sure to happen (things that weren't influenced by decision), but I was far from reassured. One snap decision and the whole thing changed. Besides, even Alice and her visions couldn't hide the fact that I would be hurting.

I pulled into the lot and made my way, without thinking, to the space where we had always parked. There was no one parked there yet so I pulled into the space and we got out. In fact, there was hardly anyone here yet, so we made our way across the lot without attracting any stares. The receptionist was more than happy to help, handing us our timetables and talking animatedly about the two new people that had joined yesterday and how she was sure we would all get on great at the school. She was talking for so long that the bell rang, before she was finished talking. She looked slightly irritated, but reluctantly told us to go to our lessons.

I glanced down at my timetable. Great. English, Biology and Social Studies before lunch and Spanish afterwards. I flicked through my siblings' minds to be dismayed to realise that I only shared lessons with Rosalie. Rosalie. Damn.

Emmett was irritated; he had double P.E. which he hated because he didn't like not using all of his strength.

Alice was ecstatic because she had all of the same lessons as Jasper and he mirrored these feelings.

Rosalie was… anticipating Social Studies. Strange.

I sat through English, bored, until one girl caught my attention. She had dark brown hair and chocolaty brown eyes, just like… I stopped that thought abruptly and concentrated on what her name was. Cassandra something. Her best friend was Joanna Stanley, who was in Biology now, I learnt from her thoughts. Huh. Jessica Stanley's great-niece or something like that.

But my thoughts were off of the redhead and back on Cassie within seconds as I briefly wondered what she was thinking. I decided to forget her privacy and listened to the space where she was sitting. Silence. What? I concentrated more and there was still nothing. Oh for goodness sake! I thought, fighting to keep the growl inside my chest. Not again. It must be something to do with this place, I thought glumly.

_What's up now? _Rose thought at me, one eyebrow raised. I gave a small shake of my head, indicating that I'd tell her later. Rose sighed.

"Edward Cullen?" the teacher, whose name I couldn't recall, asked.

_Bet he doesn't know that the answer's a simile. He wasn't even listening. _He thought smugly.

"A simile." I answered, now fighting to keep the laugh from bubbling up.

"Well done." Mr Wilson, I remembered, smiled politely at me, though his thoughts were far from polite. Here was a man I doubted I would get on with.

Then the bell rang and I trudged to Biology. I was dreading this. I had Miss Penne **(A/N: he is not in the same lesson as Bella- this is the lesson after although they have the same teacher) **and it was in the same room where I had first met Bella. Just thinking her name sent a spasm of pain through my chest.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen." Miss Penne greeted me and signed my slip before sending me to the back of the classroom. I sat down and dumped my books on the desk, feeling relieved that the desk at which Bella and I used to sit had already been claimed. I was lost in thought when I heard someone approaching the seat next to me. Ah. Of course.

"Hi." It was Cassie.

"Hello." I replied politely, but then ignored her. She didn't like this.

"You're new aren't you?" she asked, determined to have a conversation with me.

"Yes." I continued to give her one word answers.

"There's been a lot of new kids here." She said, "There was those two yesterday. Absolute weirdos. And your family."

"Hmm." I murmured politely.

"How do you like it here?"

"S'alright." I mumbled. I was beginning to wonder whether she and Joanna Stanley had been mixed at birth because Cassie was really starting to remind me of Jessica with all the talking. But Jess' mind had never been as silent as Cassie's. This infuriated me. Another weakness. How could there be _another_ person with a silent mind? Why was it silent?

"You don't talk much, do you?" she sounded disappointed.

"No." I hid my smile carefully.

"Okay, class. Today we are learning about the average plant's anatomy…" Miss Peak started the class before Cassie had the chance to think up her response. Thankfully.

Then the bell rang for lunch. I got out of my seat and went straight to the canteen without saying goodbye. Just like old times. I met the others in the canteen. We sat in the corner without speaking, just like we used to. I picked a bagel to shreds, one of my bad habits, with my long fingers. I felt Alice's gaze on me, her thoughts sympathizing with me.

_I'm sorry._ She thought, _I miss her too, you know, I really do._ I wanted to tell her that I felt fine, but I didn't and I didn't feel like speaking right now anyway. For now, I scanned the thoughts of people in the canteen, just for something to do.

But then I heard a "voice" I had thought I'd _never_ hear again and my mouth fell open with surprise.

_Where the hell is she? _Jacob Black thought nervously, _Maybe I should ask that girl. She's in her Home Ec. class, isn't she? _I listened closely as Jacob asked Cassie about this girl. Annabelle. Bella for short. Oh, the irony.

"She had to go give in her Biology homework or something like that. She'll be here in a minute." Cassie replied, seeming shocked that he had even spoken to her.

"Okay, thanks." Jacob thanked her and sat down at his own table, waiting for his friend. His friend called Bella. He began to think about her… and then I saw her face in his thoughts and I gasped, looking over towards the door of the canteen as she entered… It was her. It was Bella.

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Again, thanks for reading and please review! I am now willing to offer virtual chocolate muffins!!!

Steph


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note- **Thanks so much for all of the reviews- they mean a lot to me! Hopefully I have been able to reply- I always try to do this as it's the least I can do to say thanks. And in these author's notes! Thanks and enjoy!

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My first day back at Forks High School had not been too bad, altogether. It _had_ been fun, I guess, and I found that I was actually looking forward to going back to school the next day.

The next day, Jake and I were late. We pulled into the lot in the nick of time and ran to our first classes, barely pausing to say goodbye to each other.

Today, the school was buzzing with the knowledge that there were even more new kids. I ignored all of the talk about them, happy that the limelight was away from Jake and I.

I had been too busy (hunting with Jake) to do my homework, so I told Miss Penne that I'd left it in my locker and would bring it to her at lunch. I would do it in Spanish- that would take up all of two minutes. Miss Penne fell for this idiotic excuse, without even asking me to go get it during the lesson. I wondered momentarily if I "dazzled" her, like Edward had once dazzled me, but then pushed that thought out of my head.

I did do the homework in Spanish, concentrating enough to realise that I already knew what she was telling us- which was hardly surprising considering the fact that I was almost fluent in Spanish already.

Then Home Ec. I told Joanna to tell Jake that I was giving in my Biology homework and she said that she wasn't going to the canteen, but that she'd tell Cassie to pass along the message. That was that sorted.

I trudged through the light mist of rain to the Science block and found Miss Penne.

"Thank you, Bella." Miss Penne said as I handed her my homework, "Are… are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, taken by surprise on the question, "Why?"

"I just… thought you looked a little… glum in Biology earlier." She replied.

"Oh. No."

"Are you and your brother settling in okay?" the kind teacher asked.

"Yeah, I guess." I ignored the burn in my throat that was telling me to drain her body of every last drop of blood.

"Good. Well, there's a whole bunch of new kids here today, so I'm sure you'll all adapt in your own time…" Miss Penne shook her head at an unpleasant thought.

"Okay." I said a little awkwardly, "Uh, can I go?"

"Yes, of course you can." Miss Penne waved her hand, indicating that I could leave.

I thanked her and went back out into the horrid weather, heading for the canteen.

I grabbed a tray outside and went in; I grabbed any food- Jake wasn't fussy- and paid for it before joining Jake at his table. I dumped the tray in front of him and sat down with an exasperated sigh.

"There you go."

"Thanks." He said, taking a packet of crisps and ripping it open. Suddenly he froze, his eyes fixed on someone on the other side of the canteen.

"What?" I asked, glancing briefly in the direction he was staring and what I saw made me freeze as well. A pair of all-too-familiar golden eyes was staring back at me.

"A moment please, Jake." I muttered as I rose from my chair and left the canteen, knowing that _he_ would follow me.

I stopped outside, waiting. He joined me momentarily.

"Explain. Now." He said, without letting me get a word in first.

"_What?" _I gasped, although I was still marvelling in the perfect ring of his voice, "_Me?_ I think _you_ have some explaining to do, myself. Why are you here?"

"No, Bella," Edward disagreed, "You have more explaining to do than me- you are supposed to be _nearly eighty years old!_" he stressed the last few words.

"That was hardly my fault, was it?" I snapped.

"I don't know. That's something you have to tell me."

"No, it wasn't!" I growled and we paused our argument as a group of kids walked out of the canteen, staring at us.

"Come on." I muttered, grabbing his arm and pulling him outside of the school, where we could have some more privacy.

"Explain." Edward repeated.

"Laurent." I sighed as a semi-explanation.

"_What?_" Edward growled.

"The wolves saved me before he killed me but…"

"_**What?**_**" **his eyes widened.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Edward suggested.

"It's a long story." I said.

"I can skip next lesson." Edward suggested, and I had to catch my breath again. For once, I was glad to be a vampire- it meant that my insane human reactions weren't giving me away. This would, for sure, irritate him because he didn't even like me any more. I had probably just ruined his existence by being here. They planned to come back to Forks again, but I was still here and this probably annoyed the crap out of him. Good. No, I didn't mean that. I didn't want him to suffer; I still loved him, even if he didn't feel the same way. I had considered this in little over a second, so I pondered his question and began to answer him.

"Right… well, I guess it started when… it was just after my 18th birthday. When you…" I hesitated.

"BELLA!!!!!" someone shrieked and Alice ran across the lot to where Edward and I were standing; she took me into her no-longer-ice-cold embrace and squeezed me tightly, "Ohmigod! It is _so_ good to see you again!!!"

"Uh, hi." I muttered.

"What the hell happened to _you_?!" Alice exclaimed, giving me the once-over.

"Uh, I got bit?" My uncertainty made the statement a question.

"How? Who? Why? When?" Alice demanded and I looked behind me to see that the rest of the Cullens were stood a little way back.

"Well… I… uh…" I stuttered.

"OI!" another person joined the conversation and we all looked over to see Jacob running at us, "Leave her alone!"

"I'm okay?" again my edginess made the statement a question.

"Leave Bella alone." Jake repeated

"I'm okay, Jake." I said, firmer this time.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, Bells," he ignored me and took my arm, trying to pull me away, but I didn't budge.

"Let go, Jake." I said calmly.

"Come _on_." He pulled with a bit more force.

"Damn it, Jake!" I hissed, "Let _go_ of my arm!"

To my surprise, Emmett laughed, "Still got that temper of yours then?"

"I… uh…" my brow furrowed in confusion and Emmett laughed even more.

"Are you going to explain or what?" Alice asked, her butterscotch eyes pleading and desperate for information.

"Well… um…"

"No." Jake answered.

"Jake, I can fight my own battles." I sighed.

"I think we should go back to our house and Bella can tell us everything then. Carlisle and Esme can hear then as well." Jasper suggested, feeling our haywire emotions.

"Good idea." Edward muttered.

"I'll go with Bella and show her the way!" Alice volunteered excitedly, but then she paused, "If that's okay?"

"Uh… yeah. I guess." I nodded, pulling my car keys out of my pocket, then turning to Jake, "You don't have to come, you know. Stay here and tell them that I've gone home ill or something."

"No chance. You think I'd let you go off alone with a bunch of bloodsuckers?" Jake glowered at the Cullens then smiled at me, "No offence."

"None taken." I said, and then looked at Alice, "To my car?"

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Sorry, it's not as long as the last chapter. I hope that you liked Bella and Edward's reunion of sorts. But will she forgive him and his family?

The next chapter will start off back in Edward's POV and then will be in Bella's as they go to the Cullens' and the explanations begin… :)

Quote from next chapter (should I do one of these every chapter or is that a bit OTT? Please say!): _I just didn't know what to say. For the first time since becoming a vampire, I broke down into quiet, tearless sobs. Immediately everybody began to fuss over me. The only person that didn't move was typically the only one I wanted to comfort me. The only one that _could_ comfort me. He stood, as though frozen to the spot and watched with careful composure._

Thanks for reading and review please!!! Virtual chocolate muffins still on offer!

Steph


	6. Chapter 5

**EPOV**

I stared at her, my eyes wide in surprise as I took in her new appearance. She was, no doubt about it, a vampire now. Her new beauty astounded me no more than it had in the first place and, annoyingly, her head remained silent.

_Oh my God. _Alice thought, seeing my surprise and looking in the direction of my gaze. Her immediate thoughts were no different from mine, but then she had a thought that had not even passed through my mind.

_Why didn't I see her before? It's not like I haven't scanned our future here enough… I would've seen _something_…_

I began to consider this as I watched Bella take the seat next to Jacob, both of them clearly secluding themselves from the humans, as we did, but then Jacob caught sight of us. He froze where he was and stared. Bella noticed and looked over as well and my eyes met her new butterscotch-coloured pair. Her mouth dropped open slightly and she turned back to Jacob. What was she thinking? This was just as annoying as ever.

"A moment please, Jake." She muttered, knowing full well that I would hear, and then turned and headed out of the canteen. Intrigued, I followed her. As I suspected, she was waiting outside.

"Explain." I demanded, "Now."

Of course, she reckoned that I had more explaining than she did, yet I wasn't standing here as a completely different _species_ than I had been when we had last been together. And she wasn't a radiant beatific teenager when she was supposed to be a wrinkly, pensioner. I told her this and she argued, of course. Her beautiful voice rang like a bell and I knew that my love for her had not changed with time.

Of course I knew that it wasn't her fault that she was a vampire- it must've been her abnormal bad luck- this just wasn't something she could've done herself, but who _did_ do it? I asked her this, but we had to remain silent for a bit as a group of kids walked past us, staring the whole time.

"Come on." She mumbled, grabbing my arm and pulling. It took me off-guard when her gentle pull had an effect on me, and that her skin was no longer warm and soft. It was the same temperature as mine and hard the same sturdiness that mine did. This was also surprising. Bella had lost all of her fragility and clumsiness that I had seen as endearing, but it didn't mean I loved her any less. It just made her different to what she used to be. I inhaled deeply, making the most of the fact that the smell, the _call_ of her blood had gone.

"Explain." I said again, now that we were clear of anyone hearing.

She seemed reluctant to tell me, but then she sighed, "Laurent."

"_What?_"

Then she said something about wolves. God, help me, why on earth had I left her? Of course her bad luck would call in something worse than just vampires. Oh, no, not only had _Laurent_ changed her, but she had been seemingly mingling with _wolves_ as well. Then I realised. How stupid could I be? If Jacob Black was not a werewolf, how was he still trapped in his sixteen (well, not really sixteen, but he hadn't aged in sixteen) year old body?

"_**What?**_" I said again anyway, fighting to retain the growl that was rising up inside my chest.

"What?" she asked me, a hint of cheekiness glowing in her golden eyes.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

"It's a long story."

"I can skip next lesson." I insisted. Skiving on the first day- well, there was a new record, but most definitely worth it.

"Right… well, I guess it started when…" she paused, hesitating, "it was just after my eighteenth birthday. When you…" she trailed off, her eyes engulfed in pain and the guilt I felt overwhelmed me. I hadn't realised how much it would hurt her, both physically and mentally. Her pain hurt me. She didn't finish the sentence, just stared at the ground. Only a millionth of a second passed in silence, but it felt like an eternity.

"BELLA!!!!!" Alice shrieked, running over and taking Bella into her arms. I immediately felt jealous. Why couldn't our reunion have been like that? Why couldn't I have hugged her close to me, pressed my lips to hers and celebrate the fact that I no longer had to refrain? Because she could never forgive me for what I did, that's why. She could never forgive me for the pain I caused her and I doubted she could ever love me again. I didn't blame her; I would hate me too. She could see that it hadn't been Alice's fault at all and would welcome her back with open arms; I could see this. But me? Our relationship would be strained, not that we even had a small relationship, let alone one that picked up right where we had left off.

"Well… I… uh…" Bella stammered, and I realised that I had missed Alice's twenty questions. She was looking over to where Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were stood, looking dumbfounded.

"OI!" Jacob shouted. I sighed quietly at his thoughts. They were all accusing and protective of Bella. I had no problem knowing if _he_ hated us, "Leave her alone!"

"I'm okay?" Bella sounded uncertain and looked startled.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, Bells." Jake said. _Stupid, fucking Cullens. _He was thinking, _who do they think they are? Swan in here like nothing ever happened, like they never hurt Bella like they did. How dare they even _think_ of coming back here. Now we'll have to move on. He'll only hurt her again. Just like he did before. And she'll have to recover all over again, not that she really recovered in the first place. Damn Cullens…_

"I'm okay." Bella said, firmly this time, cutting off the stream of profanities in Jacob's head. He pulled her arm harder.

"Damn it, Jake! Let go of my arm!" Bella raised her voice and tugged her arm easily free of his hold.

Emmett laughed, "Still got that temper of yours, then?" he grinned. I found myself biting back a smile. The statement seemed to confuse Bella and her eyebrows pulled together as she stuttered a bit. This time, I couldn't hold back the smile. But Jacob quickly wiped it off of my face, as he answered for her. This made me cross. Bella could fight her own battles now, couldn't she?

"Jake, I can fight my own battles." She said and the smile reappeared.

"I think we should go back to our house and Bella can tell us everything then. Carlisle and Esme can hear as well." Jasper suggested.

"Good idea." I muttered. I desperately wanted to know what had happened to the love of my existence, and the sooner we stopped arguing and got on with talking civilly, the better.

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**BPOV**

"Carlisle!" Alice called as we stepped through the door.

"What is it? Alice, honey, what's wrong? Why are you back already?" Esme was the first to rush down the stairs, looking worriedly at each of her adopted children before her panicked eyes met mine for a moment. Then I looked at the floor.

I heard the rush of air as Carlisle joined us and then there was a brief silence.

"Bella?" Esme spoke softly, "Is that you?"

"Yeah." I didn't look up, though I could feel all seven of them, as well as Jake, staring at me.

Esme broke the silence, "Honey…" she reached out to me and put her hand on my shoulder, "What happened to you?"

I didn't reply; I couldn't. I just didn't know what to say. For the first time since becoming a vampire, I broke down into quiet, tearless sobs. Immediately everybody began to fuss over me: Esme shushing me, like Renee used to; Jake saying my name over and over, worrying; Alice's arms round me; Emmett patting my head, like I was a puppy (the idiot); Jasper trying, and, for the best part, failing, to send waves of calm at my hysterical form; Carlisle telling them all to give me some space; Rose was simply glaring at me, of course. The only person that didn't move was typically the only one I wanted to comfort me. The only one that _could_ comfort me. He stood, as though frozen to the spot and watched with careful composure.

"Bella, Bella, Bella…" Esme murmured comfortingly as Alice pulled me gently to the leather sofa and sat me down. She must've forgotten that I didn't have to sit anymore to feel comfortable.

"Bella, tell us what happened." Alice demanded, an edge of impatience tinting her bell-like voice.

"Laurent came." I choked out, "And Victoria."

"What?" Carlisle sat down next to me, "But I thought Laurent went to Denali?"

"So did I." I said, calming myself down and preparing to launch into my long story. The Cullens saw that I was about to start my explanation and they came over, standing or sitting in various places where they'd be able to hear. Jake sat next to me on the sofa, listening, although he already knew the story.

"Victoria was… annoyed… with Edward…" I whispered his name, not looking at him, where he still stood rooted to the ground. I knew he was staring at me, but, then again, so was everyone else; it was my time to talk, "For killing James. She thought it would be… fairer… to go after me instead of Edward himself. She didn't know that you weren't… well, weren't here any more… so she thought that a mate for a mate…" I trailed off. We all knew that the situation was different now.

"So where is she now? And Laurent?" Carlisle asked, his brow furrowing.

"Yeah! I'd like to…" Emmett started enthusiastically, but was quickly silenced with a glance from Rosalie.

"They're…" I took a deep breath, "They're dead."

"Dead?" Esme gasped, "Why? What happened?"

"Damn." Emmett said, disappointed that his fight had been taken away.

My heightened senses took in their reactions, including my peripheral vision noting Edward lean very slightly forward, "Well…" I hesitated, "The wolves" –I indicated Jake- "got rid of Laurent… although they were a tiny bit late. If it weren't for them, I'd be dead." I purposefully left out where and when I met him because I didn't want to seem desperate… or crazy.

"He bit you?" Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." I nodded, "At first I was disappointed… real mad, you know? And then, I came around to the idea. I hunted animals, like you," though I left out how much it hurt and how much I had despised myself for what I was, "and I lived with Jake in the country, just ten minutes from La Push. Charlie died just twenty years after I went "missing" and Billy died not too long after that.

"I desperately wanted to _do_ something. To go to school or something. I had perfect self-control so that wasn't a problem. We couldn't go to another school too far from here, because Jake has duties in La Push, but we couldn't go to the La Push school because there were still people in the res. that would recognise him and we couldn't come here because there were still people here that would recognise _me._ Although the majority wouldn't, there was still the possibility that a pensioner would see us and all hell would break loose. So we did nothing for sixty years. Well, not literally, but hardly anything.

"Jake had his duties at La Push and I… well, I took care of Victoria." I finished.

"You… killed… Victoria?" Carlisle wasn't the only one gaping at me, but he was the only one who spoke.

"Well… she was trying to kill me. It was the only way…" I suddenly felt a bit guilty, but then the calm washed back over me.

"Carlisle wasn't accusing you of anything Bella; he's amazed, we all are." Jasper assured me as he calmed me.

"And then you decided to come back to Forks High?" Esme asked, encouraging what little more story there was.

"Yeah." I replied, "We only started back yesterday."

"Oh, so _you're _the new kids!" Emmett nodded, like it made sense.

"Er… yeah."

"I'm so sorry Bella." Esme sighed.

"For what?" my eyebrows pulled together.

"For everything that has happened to you. You didn't deserve that." She whispered.

"I'm fine." I sighed, "I mean, it's not the best, but it's okay." There was a pause, and then I spoke again, "Now… it's your turn. What have you guys been up to?"

For the first time, I glanced over to where Edward was stood… or had been stood. He was gone. I looked round, but he was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished completely.

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Sorry about the cliff hanger!

Quote from the next chapter: "_Immediately I knew that something was wrong. Someone had been here. I inhaled deeply and almost breathed a sigh of relief when I recognised the scent. Almost, but then I remembered that Edward was the last person I wanted coming into my home. I stopped breathing as I wondered if he was still here and silently slipped through the open door…"_

Please review!

Steph


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note- ** Thank you to everybody who's reviewed or added this story to their favourites or anything- I really appreciate it and am glad that you like it. I do it all to you, especially to Leon Mcfrenchington for both the first review and the beta-ing. Thank you!

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**EPOV**

When she broke down, I didn't move; I couldn't. If I went over to her, she'd surely push me away; it would make her feel even worse than she already did. I didn't want her to feel like that. So I stood rooted to the spot, careful not to let any emotions show on my face. I saw her glance quickly at me and her eyes caught mine. For a moment, I saw all of the emotions in her: there was worry, guilt, fear, sadness, shame; nearly every emotion that existed was there in her butterscotch eyes, but only for a split second, then the mask that covered all of this slipped back over them and her beautiful eyes were soulless again. Then she started to talk.

I watched and listened to Bella's story in silence, the sadness, guilt and huge sense of wrong washing over me. Jasper let it come, without trying to calm me down; he was too involved in Bella's story. My emotions came crashing down on me, getting worse and worse as the story went on until I could bear it no more. Victoria trying to kill her was nothing; the strong emotions I felt when she said this were overruled when she said that she had killed the feline-like vampire. I could stand it no more, so I left silently, running into the forest that lay just outside our home. I needed to think.

Bella had killed Victoria. Her innocence had been corrupted by that… there wasn't a bad enough word. She had _murdered_ her. Bella hadn't liked this any more than I had, but I doubted her guilt was anything compared to what I felt. If I had been there for her, if I hadn't left, Bella could've lived and she would still be human; she would still be innocent.

And she was one of us. Her life had been ruined. What she had once asked me for, so desperately, she now had. The irony was that I could see that she hated it. Bella shouldn't have to endure something she hated. Esme was right; my angel should not have been made to go through everything that she had done.

I knew that when Bella had told us everything that had happened in our absence, she had not been entirely truthful. Not that she was lying; just that she hadn't told us the whole story. She was keeping bits from us; they may have been tiny things, but she was keeping them from us all the same. Even if it was just how much she had been hurting, she still should've told us.

I was still mulling this over when a sudden sight made me stop in my tracks. It was a house. A big beautiful house with one wall made entirely of glass. Who had a house in the middle of the forest? Apart from us, obviously. I crept forward and peered through the windows, not breathing. Whoever it was, they were out, so I snuck through the window into a bedroom. There was one bed and the covers were slung aside, sliding onto the floor, as though whoever had got out of it had been in a hurry. The bed was surrounded by boxes; the sort of boxes you used when you moved house. There was nothing else in the room so I opened the door, it creaked slightly, and went into the corridor. More boxes littered the space and, interested, I opened it and peered inside.

There were photos; lots and lots of photos. I took a double take when I realised that I recognised the faces. The one on the top was of Charlie Swan, Renee and a little girl with dark hair and wide chocolate brown eyes. Of course. It was Bella's new house. I sighed, and the smell of wolves hit me. Ugh, how did Bella stand this stench? That was yet another mystery of her mind. It pained me that, this time, I couldn't just ask her. It was hardly my business anymore. I sighed again and continued to pull photos from the box.

**BPOV**

"Where's Edward?" Emmett had picked up that he was missing as well, and suddenly everybody was looking around, everybody but Alice.

"He's fine," She said softly, "He just had to think… without our thoughts intruding in his mind…" she trailed off, "He'll be fine."

"Speaking of powers…" Emmett grinned at me, and I knew what he was implying.

"Do you have any talents, Bella?" Esme was more direct in her approach.

"Well…" I hesitated. I wanted to know what they had been up to, but I wanted to know that when Edward was here. I went with the latter and decided to tell them, "I can kind of… shield."

"Seriously?" Emmett cried, his grin almost reaching his ears.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I can shield my mind from other vampires' talents, like mind-reading and… stuff."

"That's why Edward couldn't read your mind?" Alice gaped at me, "Even when you were human?"

"I guess," I shrugged, "I can also make my shield extend over others as well, if I try really hard. And if I try even harder I can quash it. I've got all of this pretty under control; I've had a lot of time on my hands. But I have to have a motivation to do it. I have to be angry or something."

"Hmm…" Carlisle was deep in thought, probably speculating.

"That's probably why I couldn't see you!" Alice realised.

"But you could see me when I was human." I puzzled, "You mean that you didn't see me here?"

"No. But, obviously, your power has intensified with your transformation, making you immune to other talents as well. I guess if you pulled it back, quashed it like you said you can, then I'd probably be able to see you."

"Maybe…" I trailed off, thinking.

"Is there anything else that you can do?" Emmett wondered out loud.

"Well, I'm stronger than a lot of vampires… like Victoria and there have been others… Jake and I think it has something to do with what I've been through--" I immediately cut myself off; I'd said too much.

"Oh, honey…" Esme whispered, picking up on what I'd hoped that they wouldn't, "I'm so, so sorry."

"Bella…" Jake spoke for the first time since we had got to the Cullens', "I think we should go now…"

"But I want to know what they've been doing!" I protested.

"I… I think that we should tell you that when… when Edward gets back, Bella," Alice said.

"Come back sometime. You'll always be welcome here," Esme added.

"Umm… okay," I sighed. I knew why Jake wanted to go. He wanted to eat; he was hungry.

"Come on, Bells…" Jake said, grabbing my arm and attempting to pull me to my feet. I desperately wanted to stay, but I let him pull me up because he had endured a lot from me today. Suddenly, as I thought about this, I felt bad. I'd cook him something good to make up for it.

"Uh…" I looked at all of them, "I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Esme nodded and smiled kindly, motherly.

"Bye, Bella!" Alice smiled at me and hugged me again, "Come back." She was suddenly so serious that I wondered if she was joking, "Promise me you'll come back. No matter what happens, promise me."

"I promise, Alice. I'll be back. I want to know what you guys have been up to. There's a lot of time to cover," I grinned at her, trying to lighten the suddenly serious mood that made me feel edgy.

The rest of the Cullens said goodbye to us, each hugging me in turn and then we left.

"I'm so sorry, Jake," I said, once we had gone on our way and we were walking through the forest; we had no need to run.

"S'okay," He muttered.

"I really am." I stopped, pulling him to a halt as well, "And thanks."

"Seriously, Bells, forget mind reading, I think they have means of mind control," Jake snapped, "They hurt you so, so bad and you go straight back to their house, as though with open arms!"

"What else could I do Jacob?"

"You could tell them to piss off!" Jake growled. His whole form quaked now that he had let his anger get away with him, "You could get them to leave you alone. We could move. We could leave. Whatever, anything! Anything but that."

"Jake, I am sorry, but… I dunno. I just went. It just… seemed like the right thing to do." I sighed. It hurt that he wanted to do anything but speak to the Cullens again; he didn't want me to forgive them. But they were like family; even after all of this time, I couldn't just leave them, "Look, I'm sorry I dragged you along, okay? But it's my life… or existence and I can do what I want with it! If I want to forgive the Cullens, then I can, okay?"

"You still love him, don't you?" Jake glowered at me.

I didn't reply.

"I can't believe this, Bella!" he cried, "After everything that he did to you, you _still_ love him. He'll only hurt you again, Bells, you know that."

"He won't," I shot back, "How can he hurt me when he clearly doesn't feel the same way that he did? How can he hurt me when I'm already hurt? How can he leave me when he's already left? How can he break me when I'm already broken, Jake? How can he do that? He can't, and you know he can't."

"He can," Jake mumbled, but I could tell that I had won the argument.

"Besides, it's not like he knows I still… you know. He can't use it to his advantage and he doesn't know that I'd get hurt. I'll be fine, Jake. I'm sure of it."

"You can't be sure of someone as unreliable as he is," Jacob said, but then he turned to face me, "Bells, I'm going to go eat at The Lodge." He told me, "I need some time to think."

"Oh, Jake… don't do that…" I moaned, "This shouldn't split us up."

"Sorry, Bells… I will come back this evening. Go hunting or something," He said gently, realising that he had hurt my feelings, "I'll see you later," He said, and then ran off in the direction of The Lodge.

I would've gone after him and stopped him, but I needed some time to think as well. Let it sink in. The Cullens had come back. After sixty years, they were back.

I shook my head, deciding to think about this as I unpacked some of the stuff. I had wanted to do this before, but I just didn't know what to do with all of our stuff.

I sighed and ran back through the forest to our home. I gave the door a miss and skipped through Jake's window instead. Immediately I knew that something was wrong. Someone had been here. I inhaled deeply and almost breathed a sigh of relief when I recognised the scent. Almost, but then I remembered that Edward was the last person I wanted coming into my home. I stopped breathing as I wondered if he was still here and silently slipped through the open door. The box containing my old photos was open and a few were scattered on the floor. I continued through the house and down to the kitchen where I found him, sat with his back to me on the same chair I had been sat in that morning while Jake slept, as I did now every morning.

"What…" I started, but my throat was dry. My voice made him jump very slightly and he turned round quickly, getting off of the chair and crouching in defence until he saw that it was me stood there, looking at him, and he straightened up.

"Bella," Was all he said, seeming as speechless as me.

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Beta-read (again) by Leon Mcfrenchington- thanks so much!

I know that in the books, Alice can't see Bella when she hangs round with Jake but I made Alice not be able to see Bella because of her shield, because I can do tiny things like that. This is because I decided that I shouldn't spend ages making Bella and the Cullens figure out that Alice can't see her because of the wolves, purely because we all know this, so I changed it a little bit. Sorry, but it's easier this way.

Quote: _Suddenly I realised that it didn't matter if he knew how I felt; the worst he could do was leave again. And this time, I could follow them, if I wanted to. I always had loved him and always would and I didn't care if he knew that._

As you may be able to tell by the quote, Edward and Bella PROPER reunion in the next chapter!

Please review!

Steph


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- **I don't own any twilight characters, but I do own the soundtrack CD!!! Which i have done for a while...

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**BPOV**

"Bella," was all he said.

"Edward," I managed to choke out. I was still shocked that I had found him in my new house.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I'll… I'll leave."

"No," I whispered back, then feeling irritated at myself again. Had I just admitted weakness to him?

"I guess you want an explanation," he sighed. I nodded, not willing to admit that I wanted much, much more than that; what I wanted from him was impossible.

"You've got a nice home," he stalled and I went to sit in the chair opposite where he had been sitting, indicating for him to sit back down. He hesitated and then obliged

I stared him in the eye for a minute and then looked down, putting my head in my hands.

"I'm sorry, Bella. So sorry. More sorry than you can possibly imagine," he said.

"For what? What have you ever done?" I muttered.

"I can see how much pain you're in and… and I can see that… that it's my fault."

Damn. My mask hadn't been as good as I had thought it was.

"And I'm… I can't even say sorry. Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it. I cannot even begin to condone the wrong I've done you," Edward continued, "I…"

"Stop it." I looked up at him again, "Nothing that happened to me was your fault. My stupid bad luck helped with most of this," I gestured to myself.

To my intense surprise, he snickered, "I guess." Then he was serious again, "But Bella, I… I know that you didn't tell us the whole story earlier."

I looked down at the table again. Damn. He had seen through that as well.

"Are you gonna tell me the rest?" he asked softly. I heard something in his voice that I hadn't heard for sixty years. It was trust, love and everything else he had ever given me all that time ago. Surprised, I looked back up into his eyes, but they were carefully covered in a mask.

"Um…" I hesitated, "Well… there isn't much more to tell."

"Tell me anything. Everything," he begged, "Where and when did you meet Laurent? Why were you there? Why was he there? What were you doing?"

"Uh… next," I said, smiling slightly as I remembered that that was exactly what he had said when I had first interrogated him about what he was.

Judging by the hint of a smile playing about his lips as well, he was also remembering this. "Why? What's wrong with those?"

"I said, 'next,'" I insisted.

"Just answer the question, Bella!" he snapped.

"Why should I?" I was suddenly defensive.

"Because I want to know!"

"What's it to you?" I demanded.

"Because, believe it or not, Bella, I care. I care how you feel, okay?" Edward cried.

"I met him in the meadow, okay?" I sighed. He cared how I felt? Did that mean he still cared _about_ me?

"Why were you there?"

"I was hiking," I answered.

"Hiking? You?" Edward asked, "Why?"

"I'm not allowed to hike now, am I?"

"Well, no, but…" he trailed off.

"But what?" I had the power now, I could feel it.

"But that's just not something you do. Or something you used to do…" his brow furrowed together as he went deep into his own thoughts.

"Look, I just wanted to revisit that field, that's all."

"That's all?"

"Well, yeah. Jake was… ill, so I couldn't ride the motorbike…" Damn it! Did that really just slip out?

"Motorbike?" Yes it did. Edward sounded pretty furious, "You rode a motorbike while you were still _human_?"

"Yes," I admitted through gritted teeth.

"Bella!" he cried, just like my illusion had, "That was stupid, careless and ridiculously reckless! You could have been killed!"

"Yes, but I wasn't," I agreed. Me and my big mouth.

"But you could've been!" I looked up at him again and he was staring at me, astonished that I could be so ignorant.

"I was aware of that at the time, yes."

"And you didn't care?"

"Well… I wasn't scared of death, if that's what you mean," I thought through my words carefully before saying them this time. I was very careful not to say that I didn't care, because that would've been a lie; I had cared enough about Charlie that I had cared enough about my own life.

"I cannot believe you," Edward sighed and this time he looked at the floor.

There was a very awkward long pause and I cleared my throat.

"So…" I said after a while, "Are you going to tell me what you've been up to?"

"Didn't they tell you?"

"No. They wanted to know about my gift." I sighed, hoping he wouldn't ask as well.

He did, "Which is?"

"I can shield my mind from other vampires." I told him, "Which, yes, is probably why you couldn't and still can't hear my thoughts."

"Hmm," was all he said; he looked like he was speculating as well, "What're you thinking?"

I didn't reply. I would've pulled my shield down, to show him my thoughts, but I didn't want him to know what I was thinking. I didn't want him to know how I really felt.

"Bella?" he asked again, staring deep into my eyes, and I was sure that the carefully composed mask let down its barrier a little bit again, just for a second; it wasn't my fault that his stare caught me off-guard.

"I… I'm wondering what you possibly could've done for sixty years." It wasn't really a lie; I was thinking that, it was just that a bigger part of my mind was thinking of more important things.

"Not much," Edward said, but I could tell that he was lying now. I didn't press it. Just sat there, silent.

"I missed you, Bella," he whispered, so quiet, I couldn't be sure if he'd actually said it. I looked up at him and he was staring into my eyes _again_. It was like he knew how dazzling he really was. Suddenly I realised that it didn't matter if he knew how I felt; the worst he could do was leave again. And this time, I could follow them, if I wanted to. I always had loved him and always would and I didn't care if he knew that.

"I…" I took a deep breath, "Listen. Really hard," I ordered and watched as he narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. I nodded in encouragement and he closed them. I stared at him for a moment and then I closed my own eyes, rubbing my temples with my fingers and I concentrated really, really hard as I pulled my shield back slowly. I heard him gasp and I knew that it was working. I thought of how I had felt when I saw him in the canteen (was it really just earlier that day?); I thought of how much I loved him; I thought of how empty I felt without him; I thought of how desperately I wanted him to stay; I thought of… but then my thoughts were cut off. His arms were around me and his lips were pressing softly, urgently to my own. I kissed him back, my shield snapping back up as I let go of my concentration, but he didn't seem to care, and neither did I.

His kiss now was so different to what it had been before and I realised that he had been holding back on me. Eventually, I pulled away and gazed into his eyes for a long moment, seeing all of the love there that had always been there; just held back.

"I love you," I told him.

"Impossible," he murmured, "How can you still love me after everything that I put you through?"

"I have absolutely no idea." I laughed, properly laughed for the first time in sixty years.

"I have always loved you, Bella," he stared at me, deeply and I knew that he was telling the truth, "I always have and always will. I couldn't cope without you. I fell to pieces. I was worse than you were. I only left to keep you safe and look what it's done to you. I've ruined your life. I am so very, very sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Edward. It's not your fault I have a hard time adjusting to change," I sighed.

"But I left you, Bella. How can I ever condone that? Look at you. That's my fault. If I had been here to protect you…"

"Stop it!" I interrupted, "Stop blaming yourself. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, okay?"

"But…" he started again and, this time, I interrupted him much more efficiently by placing my lips gently back on his. I felt like I was soaring, I had thought that I'd never feel this happy. Ever. But, then again, I'd thought that I'd never see him again, let alone kiss him.

"Bella?" another voice interrupted us and I reluctantly tore my mouth from Edward's and looked over. Jake was stood there with his mouth open.

"I guess we have some more explaining to do," Edward muttered in my ear.

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IMPORTANT- I am very, very sorry, but a quick update may not be possible as you have nearly caught me up in chapters i already wrote! There is one more chapter after this, which still needs to be beta-ed, and thats it! Okay? So I will actually have to spend time writing these chapters, so I cannot update every few days. I will try to be fast, but I have a tiny bit of writers block and it is also SNOWING!!!! If you do not understand why this is so exciting cos you live in somewhere that always gets in- I live in the south of England (I'm not saying exactly where) and we NEVER EVER get snow. I mean NEVER. So I might be a teeny bit distracted...

_Quote: __Suddenly, before I could be sure of what was happening, he changed forms. A huge, russet-brown wolf was lunging at me, his jaws clearly aiming for my throat. I braced myself for both the impact and the fight that was sure to follow, but neither came._

Please, please review!

Steph


	9. Chapter 8

**Leon Mcfrenchington****: ****I cannot remember whether I sent you this chapter to beta or not, but I don't think I did. I had major writers block and then when I had finished I decided to just add the next chapter and I hope there aren't too many mistakes. I will send chapter nine soon. Sorry!**

**SO SO SORRY THAT IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE BUT I HAVE HAD MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK AND HAVE BEEN BUSY WRITING OTHER STORIES (SUMMARIES AT BOTTOM AUTHOR'S NOTE). UPDATES SHOULD BE MORE FREQUENT FROM NOW ON. VERY, VERY SORRY!!!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own.**

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**EPOV**

I had stared at her face over and over again, until I couldn't bear to any more. Then I left the photos on the floor, making a mental note to put them back as they had been before Bella came back; I wanted to leave no trace that I had ever been here.

I trudged down the stairs and sat at her kitchen table in the chair that was already slightly pulled out. Then I didn't do anything; I just sat, thoughts spinning round and round my head. It was good that no one's thoughts were in hearing range; it made it easier to concentrate. I don't know how long I sat there.

Suddenly someone spoke from behind me, "What…?" I would recognise that voice anywhere; it was the voice of an angel. An angel who had once been mine. Of course, even if her voice wasn't as familiar to me as it was, I would've known who it was. Only one person could sneak up behind me unheard. Well, two now, I thought as I remembered Cassie at school. I pushed that out of my mind, so I wouldn't get frustrated and looked up at her.

"Bella." I said. I wanted to say so much more, but nothing would be suitable. I could've just said sorry, but it didn't seem like enough. Nothing would be enough for her anymore.

"Edward." I felt a thrill go through me at hearing her speak my name in her new ringing voice, but I quickly pushed that away too. She wouldn't want me in her home.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, wishing that that could be enough, but knowing that it never could be, "I'll… I'll leave."

"No." She whispered, then bit her lip, her eyes uncertain, what of, I couldn't tell. But I did know what she wanted.

"I guess you want an explanation." I sighed. She simply nodded, waiting for me to continue. I didn't want to tell her of the pain I'd gone through without her. What would she think? She'd probably hate me even more, knowing that I had left her without any protection even though I was supposed to love her. She'd probably think I was lying.

"You have a nice home." I complimented, putting it off. She sat down, either expecting a long wait or encouraging me to continue. Unless this was her way of turning away from me; I hesitated, but then sat back in the chair that I had been seated in not so long ago. I stared into her golden eyes for a moment, but then she broke eye contact, putting her head in her hands.

I decided an apology was a good way to begin.

"For what?" she seemed confused by my apology, "What have you ever done?"

"I can see how much pain you're in and…" –both she and I flinched- "And I can see that… that it's my fault… And I'm… I can't even say sorry." I couldn't begin to explain how guilty I felt… how that feeling was tearing me up on the inside… how her pain _was_ my pain and how it was so much worse. I continued my apology and we gradually got talking.

She told me that she met Laurent in our field, when she was hiking. I didn't believe her when she said that she only wanted to re-visit the field, but I let it pass, more interested- and infuriated- when she mentioned a motorbike. She seemed annoyed at herself for letting that slip. And then she said that she hadn't been afraid of death; I immediately felt that this had been my fault and the guilt intensified.

And she had a gift. A gift that was to shield her mind from other vampires, which was why I couldn't hear her thoughts. I couldn't resist. I asked her what she was thinking. Of course, she didn't reply, so I asked her again.

"I… I'm wondering what you possibly could've done for sixty years." She replied this time.

"Not much." I lied, not wanting to tell her how lonely I had been without her; how lost.

There was a long, awkward pause.

"I missed you, Bella." I don't have a clue what possessed me to say it; it just slipped out.

I stared into her eyes, which were suddenly bright with realisation.

"I…" she took a deep breath, "Listen. Really hard." My brow furrowed in confusion, but, when she nodded at me, I obeyed. For a moment, there was only silence, but then I heard something I never thought I would. I was sure that they were her thoughts. She was remembering how she had felt when she saw my face in the canteen- she had felt hope, happiness and, most of all, she had felt love. She thought of how much she really did love me and how empty she felt when I wasn't there, and then how much she wanted me to stay. I couldn't have been sure, but I was sure that I caught a glimpse of fear; fear of my reaction.

I was awestruck. She felt the same way as me. And she was scared that I didn't feel the same way anymore. How could she even think that? Suddenly I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, how little I deserved her forgiveness, how much she deserved a better life than one she would have with me, but, not only was it what she wanted, it was what I wanted too, and I was selfish. I wanted to tell her this so much, but I couldn't word it.

So, instead, I rushed around the dining table and took her in my arms, pressing my lips gently to hers. I had planned to be careful, at first, in case of a rejection, but I couldn't help it. This was _Bella_, and, even better, this was Bella without her delicious scent. I kissed her urgently, desperately, never wanting to let her go. She was unresponsive for a fraction of a second, shocked into stillness, but then her shield must've snapped back up, as her thoughts disappeared, and she moved her lips against mine, her kiss just as fierce as my own.

I don't know how long it lasted; all I knew was that I didn't care. I was disappointed when she pulled her mouth away gently, and we stared into each others' eyes. In her glowing eyes was love, excitement and pure happiness. She was as ecstatic as I was. I smiled, sure that the same emotions were pouring out of my own eyes.

"I love you." She clarified what I already knew; only it sounded better spoken out loud in her beautiful voice. I couldn't believe that the atmosphere around us could change so entirely in such a short amount of time. The awkwardness had passed and now we were both comfortable, finally happy after so many years of sadness.

"Impossible." I muttered in reply to her statement, "How can you love me after everything I put you through?"

"I have absolutely no idea." I heard her laugh for the first time in more than sixty years. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. I decided that now was the time to tell the truth.

"I have always loved you, Bella. I always have and I always will. I couldn't cope without you. I fell to pieces. I was worse then you were. I only left to keep you safe and look what it's done to you. I've ruined your life. I am so very, very sorry." I told her, although the word sorry was not, and never could be, enough.

"It wasn't your fault, Edward." Bella sighed, as though she had expected me to say that, to take the blame that was rightfully mine. I always did bad things, so I always had to take the blame, so this was naturally what she expected. Of course, she would try to tell me it wasn't my fault, "It's not your fault I have a hard time adjusting to change."

"But I left you, Bella. How can I ever condone that? Look at you. That's my fault. If I had been here to protect you…" I argued, though still holding her shoulders in my hands.

"Stop it!" she interrupted, "Stop blaming yourself. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, okay?"

"But…" my brow furrowed as I started to argue my case again, but then she shut me up by putting her lips back on mine and kissing me again. This time, my train of thought was lost completely. I forgot everything, but her lips on mine.

That was why I didn't hear him coming until he was there, in the kitchen with us.

"Bella?" he said, his mouth hanging open.

His expression made me want to laugh, although his thoughts made me want to kill him; he was convinced that I didn't love her anymore- that I was using her and then I would hurt her again.

"I guess we have some more explaining to do." I muttered.

"You bet you do, bloodsucker." He came over and grabbed Bella, trying to pull her away from me, but I held her tightly and she was unwilling to move, anyway.

"What are you doing, Bella?" he asked her, "He'll hurt you. He's using you."

"For what?" I growled, "What could I possibly _use_ "– I spat the word – "her for?"

"You tell me." Jacob growled back.

"Stop it!" Bella cried, glaring at Jake, "Back off, okay?"

"Bella!" he protested, "I'm trying to protect you!"

"How many times, Jake? _I don't need protecting!"_

"If I hadn't protected you that time in the field, you wouldn't be here right now!" Jacob retorted.

"I was _human_ then, Jake. I don't need babysitting anymore."

"You don't?" his voice was bitter and sarcastic.

"No, she doesn't." I answered for her, my tone just as sour.

"Bells?" he looked to her for an answer, ignoring mine.

"Jake, the Cullens aren't dangerous to me, especially not now I'm like them," Bella sighed.

"Bella, anything capable of hurting someone as much as they did is not worth forgiving," Jacob still argued, as though I wasn't there.

"I don't care what you think, Jake, okay?" Bella sighed, "The Cullens were family and still are. You forgive family, no matter what, because you love them, right?"

"Those _leeches_ are not _family_," Jake hissed, through his teeth. He was shaking now. _If anyone's Bella's family now, it's me. I never left, I never hurt her,_ he was thinking. Immediately, jealousy overtook me and I was furious.

"You?" I snorted, "Family? Whatever, Jacob. You're not even the right _species_. You never have been and you never will be. I don't know why you keep hanging on, she'll never like you. Not in the way you want, at least," I stared him down, his thoughts a whirling mess of anger. Sheesh, and they accused _me_ of over-reactions.

Suddenly, before I could be sure of what was happening, he changed forms. A huge, russet-brown wolf was lunging at me, his jaws clearly aiming for my throat. I braced myself for both the impact and the fight that was sure to follow, but neither came.

**BPOV**

I saw what was going to happen before it did and I found a short, startled scream slipping from my throat. I felt a gutturalgrowl rip from my throat in defence as I leapt in front of Edward. Even as I did it, I couldn't believe that it had come to this; I had to protect my soul mate from my best friend by leaping between them.

Jake was strong, but I was stronger, and even as he hit me with his full force, I barely moved. My hands came up, pushing against his hot, furry surface. I wasn't angry enough to bite him, thank God, but I was angry enough to push him away from my sharp teeth, just in case. Vampire venom would kill him, and I didn't want that. Not really.

"Jake!" I said, "Jacob!" I shook him, hard, shoving his humungous body away from my own, until he was growling on the other side of the room. All of this had happened in less than a second and Jake still shook with rage, his muzzle pulled back over his teeth as he growled at Edward. His attack had ceased though.

"What…" Edward was astounded, "How are you that strong? That should've been so difficult."

"It should?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied in a tone that clearly showed that this should have been obvious.

I didn't reply; just watched Jacob carefully. He seemed to glare at me, before stalking out of the door, leaving it swinging it on its hinges, and disappearing into the thick trees.

There was an awkward pause and then Edward spoke, "Oh dear."

"Oh dear indeed."

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**Okay, sorry that most of this was just the last chapter from Edward's point of view, but I think that it's kinda necessary to see how Edward feels about things, as well as Bella. I guess that this was a filler chapter. Next chapter will be better, I promise.**

**Quote from next chapter:**

_Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the open window, just at the same moment as I inhaled. Her scent hit me like nothing ever had before. The burn in my throat flared and I wanted her more than I could possibly imagine that I wanted anything. I wanted desperately to take her and the whole class right there and then, and I couldn't think of anything that would stop me._

**YOU WILL GET A SPECIAL MENTION IF YOU CAN CORRECTLY GUESS WHO BELLA'S SINGER IS!!!**

**Okay, I said that I have been spending a lot of time on some other stories, and that's one of the reasons for the time between updates. Here are the summaries for them. It would be great if you R&R'd them and you can find them by clicking my pen-name at the top.**

**FORBIDDEN INTERFERENCE**

_How could your life go from being brilliant and amazing and perfect to being hell on Earth in less than twenty-four hours? Mine did." Edward left Bella pregnant in New Moon. Alice, of course, interferes. Better than it sounds._

**Rating: T for issues raised (ie- pregnancy- yes I know, I am paranoid). Normal pairings.**

**COMA**

_Bella is in a coma because Edward wasn't there to save her from Tyler's van. Is it possible for a relationship to form while you are "asleep"? And, if so, what happens to that relationship when, and if, you wake? BXE._

**Rating: K+ (not so much paranoia). Normal pairings, though it mostly focuses on Bella and Edward.**

**If either of those sound interesting to you, PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT!!! I hope that they are good enough to be good reasons for the lack of updates on this story.**

**Sorry about the very, very long author's note, but it had to be done.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Thanks**

**Steph**


	10. Chapter 9

**Thanks to Leon Mcfrenchington for beta-ing again and to all of you reviewers for putting up with my slowness!**

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**Bella POV**

"What have I _done_?" I moaned, pushing away from Edward's body slightly.

"Nothing," he replied softly, catching my wrist in his grasp and stopping me from moving back any further.

"I… I should go after him," I shook my head, in a daze. Edward let my wrists go, but his expression was wounded. I immediately regretted it and reached up tentatively to stroke his face. I felt a tremor rock through me as I caressed his smooth cheek. He closed his eyes, seeming to quiver at my touch.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I don't want to hurt you, but I should go after him," I said, hesitating and starting to draw my hand away. He picked up what I was about to do and his hand came up and caught my hand, holding it to his smooth cheek.

"Don't," he murmured, "Leave him- he'll be fine. I haven't seen you for sixty years. I couldn't bear for you to leave now." He had me there. I felt exactly the same way, I knew that I didn't want to leave him either. He still held my hand to his face and I looked out of the door towards the forest, before looking back at Edward. I still couldn't believe that he was actually here and that he wanted me. I gave in with a little groan and lifted my other hand to stroke the other side of his face. He opened his eyes and looked into mine, then smiled.

"I love you," he said.

"As I love you," I replied, standing on my toes to reach up and plant my lips on his once again. I couldn't believe that he wanted me, after all this time. With just one kiss, Jacob was instantly forgotten.

The morning came and I was still in Edward's arms; Jacob had been left to his own accord.

"Good morning," Edward greeted me, although neither of us had slept, so the greeting had been almost meaningless.

"Morning," I replied, pretending to yawn and stretch.

He laughed, the sound so care-free and happy that I had to giggle as well.

"So…" he said, "School?"

I looked around, "But what about Jake?"

"He'll probably come back when he's ready to," Edward shrugged.

"Probably?" my eyes narrowed.

"Relax, Bella. There's no point in looking for him; he must have gone quite far because I can't hear him."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I gaped at him.

"Yes. Jacob can look after himself, you know that," Edward reminded me and I sighed. He was right and I knew it. He kissed me again, and then ran home to change for school, leaving me to do the same.

I changed at the speed of light and grabbed the phone, dialing Jacob's number.

It rang and rang and rang, but he didn't pick up. I tried again. And again. And again. But he clearly hadn't forgiven me yet. I sighed and put the phone back, hoping that he would call when he'd forgiven me for mingling with my family.

I drove into the lot and parked in my now-usual space. Edward was at my door in seconds, opening it for me.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Just because I have `super-speed' doesn't mean I use it, Edward," I sighed untruthfully.

"You called Jacob, didn't you?" Edward's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"No," I lied.

"Bella, you're no better at lying then you were sixty years ago," Edward said, "Listen, if you're that worried, we can go and find him, but we'll do it together, okay?"

"No," I shook my head, "If you were with me, it would make him a lot worse."

"Bella, I don't want to hurt you again," Edward whispered, cupping my face in his hands.

"I know. I'm not going after him; not today," I told him.

"Okay. What do you have first?"

"Biology," I mumbled.

"How ironic," Edward snickered, and kissed me once more before we headed our separate ways to lessons ("I'll change that at lunchtime," he had promised me).

As it had for the previous few days, Biology passed uneventfully, as did Spanish, and the first significant lesson of the day was Home Ec.

It started out just as boring as the last two lessons, as we copied the different uses of eggs out of our textbooks in silence. Well, almost silence. Cassie and Joanna talked in hushed whispers about their own trivial dramas and the teacher picked up on this.

"Cassandra, will you move to the seat next to Annabelle please?" Mrs Watton snapped at her, in a tone that couldn't be argued with. I pulled my books out of the way so that Cassie could sit there. She frowned as she sat, obviously annoyed to be sat next to the new girl who had already been branded a freak by most of the girls, and forgotten by most of the boys as soon as the Cullens, and Rosalie, had joined the school.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the open window, just at the same moment as I inhaled. Her scent hit me like nothing ever had before. The burn in my throat flared and I wanted her more than I could possibly imagine that I wanted anything. I wanted desperately to take her and the whole class right there and then, and I couldn't think of anything that would stop me. Her scent would've been worth it, but Edward was here somewhere in this school, and I didn't want to let him down.

In that one moment, I remembered everything Edward had ever said to me about how much I had appealed to him, his "La Tua Contante." Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would one day come face to face with my own singer. And never had I thought that I would want anything so badly. This was almost as bad as the desperate achy need I felt when Edward wasn't there, and, like Edward had, I felt that this Cassandra had been summoned from hell to torture me.

It was only wanting to better Edward that I didn't pounce right there, but there was a seed of doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be able to withstand the temptation, despite the fact that, unlike him, I had never tasted human blood. I didn't think that I would be able to resist because she could never hold the other appeal that I had for Edward; he had a reason not to kill me, but I had to keep reminding myself of this girl's family and how they would miss her, even though that seemed insignificant to the raging monster within me desperate for the girl's blood.

The lesson continued to drag by and I continued to glare.

**Edward POV**

It hurt to have to leave Bella to go our separate ways to lessons, but now that I had found her, I was pretty sure that I could stay with her, and the thought cheered me. I was the happiest I had been in years.

The teacher placed the girl with the chocolaty brown eyes next to me. Cassandra. The lesson was boring, and so I barely paid attention, my mind side-tracked by Bella. I watched her through thoughts of people in her class and she looked bored too. But then something pulled me out of my reverie. Cassandra was idly doodling her full name on the inside of her folder, ignoring me.

"Your middle name's Isabella?" I asked quietly.

She jumped and looked up at me, "I thought you didn't talk much?" she narrowed her lovely eyes, reminding me of Bella when she had been human.

"That was yesterday," I smiled.

"Well… yes, my middle name's Isabella," she nodded. Though she looked confused, she continued, "My grandfather had an older sister called Isabella, but she died before he met her."

"Oh, that's sad. I'm sorry," I said. For some bizarre reason, I wanted to continue this conversation. I could've sworn that there was something there, but I thought that it must be my endless curiosity, wanting to unwrap the mysteries held in her silent head.

"Don't be," she snorted, "I never met my grandfather either. Not many people did."

"Why? What happened?" I was intrigued, but I had no idea why.

"Well… it's pretty confusing," she hesitated.

"I'm sure I can keep up," I flashed her my dazzling smile and she blinked before explaining.

"My great-grandma already had a daughter, Isabella, with a different man. She found out that she was pregnant just days before Isabella went missing. She was never found. Just a few months later, my great-grandmother gave birth to my grandfather. He married a woman called Cheryl when they were both twenty and they had my father, Harry, when they were twenty-three. My grandfather disappeared mysteriously two years later, just like his sister before him. It was very strange.

"And then, eighteen years later, my Dad met and married my Mom, Cassandra. She died giving birth to me, seventeen years ago. That's why I'm called Cassandra Isabella Dwyer."

Dwyer… Now where had I heard that name before?

"What was your grandfather's name?" I asked, still unbelievably wanting to know more.

She laughed, "His name was Edward," she told me, "Like you."

"Edward Dwyer?" I laughed too, but when I said it out loud I realised what I had been missing, "Dwyer? That's your surname?"

"Yes," Cassie looked at me like I had lost it.

I didn't speak again. Dwyer. That had been Renee's new surname when she married Phil. The people in Cassie's story had a daughter called Isabella, who disappeared. Was it possible that Cassie was related to Bella? I looked at her again. She was staring at me, her eyes full of questions. Those chocolaty brown eyes… the silent mind… yes. Yes, Cassie could easily be related to Bella.

**Bella POV**

The lesson dragged by excruciatingly slowly and I stood and made my way out as soon as the bell rang; the need to be gone was such that it irritated me to use human pace.

Edward met me outside the canteen.

"Edward, I have to leave…" I said, as he took my hand.

"What? Why?" he asked, eyeing me cautiously, "Are you okay? Did somebody guess?" Now Alice and Jasper were with us.

"No! No," I shook my head ferociously, "No… That girl…"

"What girl?" Edward was confused.

"Cassandra. She…"

"Oh _her._ I know about that. Why does that mean that you have to leave?" Now he was even more confused.

"What?" So was I, "Of course I have to leave, Edward. I could kill her…"

"Who's Cassandra?" Alice piped up, "And why do you have to leave?"

"She's in my English class," Edward didn't even look at her.

"And my Home Ec." I added.

"What about her?" Alice was also dragged into the confusion.

"She's related to Bella," Edward said turning to look at Alice at the same time as I also turned to Alice and said:

"La Tua Contante."

We turned, stared at each other and both shrieked, "_What_?"

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**Well done to the anonymous reviewers Dist and Zabrena for guessing that Cassie was Bella's singer. Thanks for all of the reviews from everybody though.**

**Quote:**

"_But…" I was lost for words, "Edward, what can I do?"_

"_What I did," Edward suggested gently, but firmly, "Ignore it."_

_I laughed sarcastically, "I can't do that. Edward, we don't all have super self-control."_

"_You can, Bella," he said, squeezing my hand, "I believe in you."_

"_Your belief isn't going to save Cassie's life, Edward," I sighed._

**As you may be able to tell, I haven't actually written much of the next chapter, so the next update may also not be for a week or so. I am very sorry.**

**Please review!**

**Steph**


	11. Chapter 10

"She's related to me?" I gaped at Edward. "How _on earth_ did you make _that_ conclusion?"

"She told me," Edward said.

"She told you? But how does she know?"

"Well… she kind of told me. She told me a bit. A very little bit. I figured the rest out by myself," he shrugged.

"So you don't know?"

"Well… I'm pretty certain," Edward said, and then changed the subject, "La Tua Contante? What do you mean, Bella?"

"Edward, I want to kill her… so, so badly," I whispered, not wanting to admit it.

"Don't worry, Bella, you don't have to leave," Edward murmured, "We'll get through this. Together. Like I said this morning."

"Edward… I don't think I can… restrain," I felt so ashamed of myself for feeling so weak.

"You will, Bella, you will," he soothed.

"Related to me how?" I asked, desperate to get the conversation off of me and on to… well, me, but in a different light.

"Your mother had a baby just after you… disappeared…"

"I have a sister?" I gasped, interrupting him.

"Well, you did have a brother," Edward corrected me.

"I had a little brother?"

"Yes."

"What was he called? What happened to him?" I questioned, while Alice and Jasper listened to our conversation with mute interest.

"Well… he was, ironically, called Edward," my Edward stifled a laugh, but then became serious. "And he… disappeared. Just two years after his son was born, he mysteriously disappeared. Never turned up again. But, anyway, his son is Cassandra's father. So Cassie is your great niece," Edward concluded.

"Are you sure it's not just a coincidence? How did you know that it was my mom that had this Edward, anyway?" I asked, sure that there must be a mistake.

"Four reasons," Edward said, staring into my eyes, "First, the woman that gave birth to this Edward had a daughter called Isabella, with a different man, who disappeared just before she found out that she was pregnant again…"

"That doesn't prove anything, Edward," I sighed.

"Will you let me finish?" he cried.

I clamped my mouth shut.

"Second, she has the most gorgeous colour eyes I have ever seen… but they looked much better on you when you were human," Edward smiled at me.

"Coincidence, Edward!" I rolled my eyes.

He raised his eyebrows at me so I apologised and pretended to zip my lips.

"Thirdly…" he continued, somewhat reluctantly, "I cannot hear her thoughts."

"But I thought that we had figured that out?" Alice piped up, "Isn't that because of Bella's shield?"

"Bella didn't have a shield when she was human, Alice, and neither does this Cassie," Edward shook his head, "That may be the reason now, but I'd bet that it's some genetically inherited thing that Renee had."

"Are you saying that there was something wrong with my mom?" I couldn't stay silent any longer.

"No," Edward laughed, "I could hear her fine. But I'd bet that I wouldn't have been able to hear your brother or Cassie's father."

"What's the fourth reason?" I wondered aloud.

"Her name."

"Cassandra?" I puzzled. "What about it?"

"No! Her full name," Edward said, "It's Cassandra Isabella Dwyer."

Dwyer… that was my Mom's surname. Now I was sure Edward was right. I mean, Dwyer wasn't a common surname, and I doubted that all of this could be a coincidence anymore. But, still, this didn't change the fact that I wanted to drain this girl's body of her blood.

"But…" I was lost for words, "Edward, what can I do?"

"What I did," Edward suggested gently, but firmly. "Ignore it."

I laughed sarcastically, "I can't do that. Edward, we don't all have super self-control."

"You can, Bella," he said, squeezing my hand. "I believe in you."

"Your belief isn't going to save Cassie's life, Edward," I sighed, making up my mind about what to do.

"Oh, Bella…" Alice moaned, seeing my plan, "We have a lesson together this afternoon."

"Sorry, Alice," I said, "I'm going home," I told the others.

"I'll come with you," Edward offered.

"No, don't worry about me. You stay here, or you'll get into more trouble," I told him.

"Getting into trouble is the least of my worries…" Edward started.

"I'm not human anymore, Edward," I interrupted him so quietly that no human could have heard. "I don't need constant supervision, okay?" I needed some time to think alone right now.

He stared at me for a moment and then nodded, "But if you want me, just call and I'll be right there."

"Okay," I agreed. He kissed me quickly before I left.

I ran home the long way, wanting to draw it out. I didn't want to ever have to face Cassie again, but I also knew that it was inevitable, unless I left Forks… No. I couldn't run away from my weakness. I should face it and get over it… I opened the door to the house and shut it again. Almost immediately, I could tell that Jacob was back.

"Jake!" I called, relief saturating my voice.

"Bella!" his voice was just as urgent. I went upstairs, where his voice was coming from, and found him throwing things in a suitcase.

"Jake, what are you doing?" I demanded, "We only just moved here. You're not leaving, are you?" I realised, horror-struck. "Oh, Jake, don't leave. We can work through this together. Just because the Cullens are here, it doesn't mean we can't be friends…"

"Bella, I'm not leaving. _We_ are," he told me.

"What? Why?" Had he heard about my _weakness_ already?

"Because there are people coming, Bella. Vampires. Another coven of vampires is coming here. From Texas."

"What? How do you know?" I was confused, not for the first time that day. "And why does that constitute leaving?"

"Because they are coming to _kill_, Bella," Jacob told me, his eyes wild with anxiety. "I ran into them. They are coming to Forks."

"So? Jake, we can look after ourselves."

"But they were… different than you and the Cullens. They just want to kill. One of them told their leader that the Cullens had this bit of land and their leader said that they'd kill all the vampires in the area." – he threw me a pointed look – "Don't you know what vampires from the South are like? They're ruthless killers, Bella. We can't stay here, we can't let this happen…"

"You're right," I said.

"What?" Jake was surprised that I had agreed so quickly.

"You're right; we can't let this happen. And that's why we'll stay here, okay? We'll defend Forks, and we won't let them kill us. How many of them were there?"

"Too many. More than us." It was good to hear Jake use the plural; it was almost funny. Just a few hours ago, the Cullens had been `them' to him and him and I had been `us'. Now we were all in this together.

"We can beat them," I said surely.

"But…" Jake started.

"No," I interrupted him, "Jacob Black. Are you forgetting who we have on our side? Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, Jasper can control their emotions and I can stop _them_ from doing any of this. Don't you see? However many of them there are, we probably have the upper hand. Our coven is almost as powerful as the Volturi, if not more so."

"Bella…" Jacob began again.

"I'm not buying it, Jake, any of it. We stay," I told him in a very final tone and, to my relief, he gave up and went into the kitchen to find some food. Now all I had to do was figure out what I was going to do about Cassie…

**Edward POV**

School felt boring again now that Bella had gone. I pushed some spaghetti around my plate, never intending to eat it. I didn't understand how humans could actually _like_ this stuff.

Suddenly, Alice froze, and the slice of pizza she was holding slipped through her fingers. I looked up into my 'sister's' non-seeing eyes, watching the same pictures she was. Another coven of vampires crossing the boundaries of Forks, their burgundy eyes narrowed and their faces showing only one thing: determination. There were loads of them, many more than us, and I could tell that they were not here on a friendly visit, or even just being inquisitive - as James and Victoria had been in the first place – but they were here to fight; to kill.

The pictures disappeared and Alice gasped.

"Edward…" she whispered.

"I know," I said, aware of the rest of our siblings watching us, "We have to leave," I told them, "Now."

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**Okay, I know I always say this guys, but I am so so sorry for the delay. I really mean it. I know where I'm going with this now so hopefully updates will be quicker.**

**Mega thanks to Leon Mcfrenchington for beta-ing and putting up with my slowness and seeming inability to attach a file to an email XD**

**I know I also always say this, but please review. I'd love to hit to big 1-0-0 and I'll be eternally grateful to you all.**

**Please?**

**Steph**


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